Reproduced from the arla website with comments by the Editor at www.letsafe.net one of the UK's most respected and recognised providers of property management services and property management insurance.


ARLA, the Association of Residential Letting Agents, has welcomed the provisions to stimulate the Private Rented Sector contained in the Rugg Review presented to the government yesterday. The report also contains proposals for licensing, redress and tackling the problems caused by bad landlords and agents.

"The Private Rented Sector has been well served by the small landlord. Without this backbone, the sector would never have been revitalised and the housing market would be having even more problems," commented Ian Potter, ARLA's Head of Operations. "Professor Rugg's comments are very welcome. Stimulating the sector will do much to help us through the difficult times ahead, and at very little cost to the exchequer."

Agreeing with the Professor Rugg's call for licensing, ARLA pointed out that the Association has been calling for the licensing of all letting agents for more than a decade and is pleased that this demand has now been backed up. The Association also pointed out that, together with other professional bodies in the property sector, it already operates independent redress systems which have the interests of the consumer in mind.

"The coupling of light touch regulation of landlords, the licensing of agents and the need to encourage small scale landlords into the market, as called for in the Rugg Review, will, hopefully, bring about a sea change in government assistance for the Private Rented Sector with changes in the fiscal regime for landlords and an acknowledgement that REITS cannot satisfy the needs of the residential rental market," added Ian Potter

Editors comments:

At www.letsafe.net we feel that this report marks an important way forward for the property management industry. As a key provider of landlord and letting agent services in the UK LetSafe are commited to providing the property managent industry with the best possible advice backed up by products and services that remain competitive and provide property professionals with the assurance they need when looking for or sourcing providers to bring them property management insurance products as well as tenant referencing that provides swift turn around times with extensive returns of information to allow the letting agent and landlord to make informed choices regarding who they are letting property to.

Any move to understand and support the property management industry will always be welcomed warmly by the team at LetSafe. We beleive that as the property management market remains one of growth and is certainly robust in these times of economic uncertainty that more support from central government should be directed toward the buy to let market and the volume of landlords, letting agents and property management companies that work within it.